Donate to Saint Maur International School Earthquake Fund!

In the days following the earthquake, St Maur International School in Yokohama (my daughters’ school),  set up an Earthquake Relief Fund  which has already collected over 1.3 million Yen. The effort is being led and coordinated by a  teacher, Mr Morice, who has already travelled to tsunami-hit areas to assist with relief and cleanup efforts.

So far 100,000 Yen has been donated by school staff to Peace Boat (peaceboat.org), an NGO working in the tsunami affected town ofIshinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture. Peace Boat have set themselves the goal of feeding 500 people 3 warm meals a day, as well as helping in the cleanupof the local community.  Saint Maur also donated 3 huge cooking pots, kitchen knives and ingredients such as miso, soy sauce & dashi.

The objective of the fund will be to “adopt” a school in Tohoku (in the process of being identified) with which St Maur can establish a relationship – something that will benefit students from both schools and create a sense of connectedness and purpose. I was deeply moved to hear that a school in Pakistan which St Maur supported as its service project  last year reciprocated by sending a contribution of 200$: this demonstrates how direct giving enriches both giver and recipient on so many levels.

It is wonderful to see the children so motivated and busy devising various fundraising projects - the best possible  way of putting the trauma of the earthquake behind them and looking toward the future. Yesterday, for instance, they had a “free dress day” (i.e. no uniforms - usually a reward for classes respecting the "English only policy"), but this time they had to pay 300 Yen for the privilege of dressing in the red-and-white of Japan. The student council and teachers have many ideas for concerts, raffles, trips  to help with the cleanup effort, etc. Daughter #1 is representing year 11 on the earthquake relief committee, so I will keep you informed of the progress of their service efforts and what is being done with the money.

Details of how to donate are on the St Maur website

If you want to donate, but international bank transfers seem too complicated, contact me and we can try to find a solution.